Dare To Love Again

“But why didn’t you say something? Why did you make everyone believe you were dead.”

“Because of you! She took you away, and no one knew where you were all these years. I refused to believe you were dead, but I had no idea where you were, and I knew the Salvos were helping her.”

“Where have you been?”

“Tibet, the mountains, that’s why it took me so long to get home after mom called. It took the messenger a while to get to me, but I never stopped looking for you. Mom and I have spent millions trying to find you over the years. Funny how we stopped looking close to home. I guess I just never thought that she’d bring you back here.”

“She knew that I wouldn’t stop looking for my grandchild, so she couldn’t take the chance. She hardly ever left the estate, and the people we had planted around her could never find anything. It was like you just disappeared off the face of the earth.”

“So why did you believe all this time that I was still alive?” She asked her dad, who rubbed his chest over his heart. “I would’ve known if you were no longer of this world.”

The two of them broke down, and I moved out of the way so he could sit beside her and hold her. I’m going to have to have a talk with him about making my woman cry, though, but otherwise, it’s all good.* * *REBECCA* * *Good, now that I’ve got Calen out of my hair, I can take care of business. I don’t know where my boy learned to be so soft. It’s all that gallantry training my husband drilled into his head as a child. All about treating women like the fairer sex and yadda-yadda-yadda. Hah, I’m one of them, and I know that’s a bunch of malarkey.

He can believe that Dana’s paid the price all he wants, but I’m not buying it. Being a country club maven, I know well the peccadilloes of their offspring, and checking themselves into rehab is high up on their list of things to do to fool the general public that they are on the straight and narrow.

As soon as I learned about her latest stunt, I hopped into action, and wouldn’t you know; she was planning to check herself out later today, less than a damn week. Since she wanted rehabilitation, as a longtime friend of the family, I’m going to see she gets it. I just saw a documentary about one of those high society trust fund babies crying about someplace in Colorado where she’d been packed off to get her shit together. Sounds perfect.

I already made the necessary calls, and the jet is waiting to transport her. I had to pay a pretty penny to the attendant in charge of her to make sure she was barely cognizant when it was time for the transport, but it’s money well spent. I didn’t want her unconscious because I need her awake enough to know that it was me doing this to her and why. This way, when she gets out in two years, she’ll know not to come back to this town, or she’d get worst.

“We’ll wait right here, Gerard.” I didn’t let him in on what we were doing; he only knew we were picking up something here before heading to the airfield. But after years as my trusted servant, he knew how to keep his mouth shut. Some things my son and husband do not need to know. They brought her out not five minutes later, and I caught his look in the rearview mirror and nodded before he got out to open the door and help them load her in.

Her head lolled around on her neck, and her eyes widened with fear when she saw me sitting there. “Hello, Dana. There’s been a change of plans. That trip to Saint Moritz that you planned to hide the fact that you were no longer here will have to wait for say… two years.” She tried talking but whatever they’d shot her up with made her words come out sounding garbled.

“Yes, I know; as my son’s longtime friend, I think it only fitting that I help you with your drug addiction. This place where you’re going does a thorough job of things. By the time you leave there, you’ll be good as new. And while you’re there, keep this in mind. I know of worst places; think about what that means.”

“You’re not to contact my son ever or come near my family again. And in case you forget why I’m doing this, it’s for my grandson, and my daughter and the two years of her life that you stole. You’re getting off lucky; if there should be a next time, you won’t. We’re here.”